As one of the oldest sports of the modern era, clay shooting is quite a popular sport, especially in the West, where it originated. Today, it is a popular Olympic sport with two main variations – skeet shooting and trap shooting.
Both skeet and trap involve shooting flying targets. However, the way in which both of them are played creates the difference between the two subcategories.
Comparison between Skeet Shooting and Trap Shooting
| Parameters | Skeet Shooting | Trap Shooting |
|---|---|---|
| Number of houses | There are two static machines in skeet shooting – a high one and a low one. | In trap shooting, there is only one machine that turns in different directions. |
| Placement of houses | The houses for skeet shooting are located on either side of the field and face each other. | The trap machine is fixed in front, facing away. |
| Number of stations | There are eight stations for skeet shooting. | There are five stations behind the house for trap shooting. |
| Distance between machine and shooter | The distance from both houses will vary with the station on which the skeet shooter stands. | The distance between the machine and the trap shooter remains the same. |
| Launch height of targets | The high house trap machine launches from 10 feet from the ground, and the low house throws from 3 feet from the ground. | The targets are launched from almost ground level. |
| The trajectory of targets | The targets can move towards the shooter, away from the shooter, and even cross in case of a double. | The targets only move away from the shooters. |
| Double shooting | In skeet shooting, double shooting is performed in four stations. | There is no double shooting in trap shooting except in a doubles event, where the machine releases clay targets in pairs of two. |
| Speed of targets | The targets fly at about 72 kilometers per hour. | Trap targets fly at 65 kilometers per hour. |
| Number of shots | Two shots are taken for each station. If a double is to be shot, then the number increases. | Each player is given five targets to shoot at every station. |
| Ability to predict | Because of consistent speed, height, and angle, targets are easier to predict. | The targets in trap shooting are launched in varying directions; therefore predicting is more difficult. |
| History | Skeet shooting is younger, being originated in the twentieth century. | Trap shooting is quite older, being in existence since the eighteenth century. |
| Place of origin | Skeet shooting has its origins in Massachusetts, United States. | Trap shooting has its earliest origins in England. |
Differences Between Skeet Shooting and Trap Shooting
What is Skeet Shooting?
Skeet shooting came into existence in 1920 in Massachusetts by Charles Davis and Bill Foster. Initially more of a clock-style game, the game took its current form a few years later.
Skeet shooting has two machines that launch targets, and the player has to shoot them from eight preset positions, called stations. Because the target launching houses stay fixed, the shooter’s position changes the angle of the targets.
In a round of Olympic skeet shooting, 25 targets are launched in total from all stations. In the American skeet shooting, 24 targets are launched. Here, the player gets to retake his missed shot or shoot another target at the final station.
What is Trap Shooting?
Trap shooting is one of the oldest shooting sports. However, the earliest signs known date back to eighteenth-century England, where the sport was already popular among the hunters. Back then, live birds were used for target practice.
The live birds were soon replaced with glass balls, and later, clay pigeons became mainstream. Today, clay targets are launched using a trap machine, and the shooters take shots from five stations, each at an equal distance from the trap machine.
In the American trap, 25 targets are launched by a single trap machine. In singles or a handicap event, the player takes five shots from each station. In the case of a doubles event, five pairs of two targets each are launched from each station.
In the Olympic version, 125 targets are launched, meaning 25 shots from a single station.
Contrast Between Skeet Shooting and Trap Shooting
Number of Houses
Placement of Houses
Number of Stations
Distance between the Shooter and the House
The Initial Height of Targets
The Trajectory of Targets
Double Shooting
Approximate Speed of Targets
Number of Shots Taken
Predictability
History
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. What is sporting clays shooting?
Sporting clays is an entirely different but perhaps the most realistic form of clay shooting, where the shooters walk through a course like in golf and shoot targets released by the trap machines.
Because of the varying sizes, speeds, and angles of targets, combined with the changing environment, anticipating the targets is the hardest here.
Q2. What is a handicap event in trap shooting?
Just like a singles event, shooters aim at a single target. However, in a handicap event, the shooter has to move away from the trap machine(also called earning yardage) after hitting the target successfully.
Q3. How is the Olympic trap different from the American trap?
Olympic trap does not use a single rotating trap machine. It uses 15 machines placed at set angles, launching ten left, then right, and five straight targets in random order.
Q4. What is double shooting in skeet shooting?
Double shooting means both houses will launch targets at the same time. However, which target to shoot first from the two depends on what station the shooter is standing at.
Q5. How is the Olympic skeet different from the traditional American skeet?
The Olympic skeet is pretty much the same as its American counterpart. However, the shooter has to perform a double at the first seven stations.
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I’m a former teacher with a background in child development and a passion for creating engaging and educational activities for children. I strongly understand child development and know how to create activities to help children learn and grow. Spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and volunteering in my community.